


Straight up Bitter

by tremmy_chii



Series: Personal Sunshine [2]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, it looks so empty but I really got nothing else in mind to tag...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tremmy_chii/pseuds/tremmy_chii
Summary: Jaebeom just wants to be close to him, one coffee at a time.





	Straight up Bitter

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "AU where bam’s a barista and JB doesn’t drink coffee but can’t stop coming to the coffee shop bam works at!!"
> 
> ......sigh.....siiiiigh....for some reason this was so hard for me LOL... maybe this was why I never thought of tackling a coffee shop au until now? anyway, say hi if you'd like on [twitter](https://twitter.com/tremmy_chii) or leave a prompt on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/tremmy_chii)! I don't really know when I'll stop accepting prompts but I guess until I feel overwhelmed (or until May ends) I guess!

 

 

 

 

From the corner of his eyes, Bambam can see Yugyeom tugging on the strings of his apron loose. He instantly wants to kill him.

 

“Yah, Kim Yugyeom…” Bambam warns. Yugyeom is going to ditch his station, Bambam can _feel it_ in his veins. He’s currently talking to a customer behind the counter right now, probably punching in their order as he should be. But then, after the woman moves to the side to wait for her drink, Yugyeom cuts the man in front of him off before he can speak. Yugyeom suddenly points to Bambam, who is working on the drinks in the back, with a bright smile. Meanwhile, three blenders are whirring loudly in the background. Bambam is stuck in his position, hand still holding a cup of milk beneath the frothing wand.

 

“He will take your order from here, thank you!” Yugyeom pulls the apron over his head and whips out his phone.

 

“No, I will not!” Bambam yells over the blenders. Yugyeom walks through the hinged door and sends Bambam an apologetic look.

 

“Just ten minutes, I swear!”

 

“Yugyeom, come back here,” Bambam hisses. The milk’s still not airy enough. Yugyeom runs out the door. “ _YUGYEOM_.” Bambam barely clenches his jaw in time to stop himself from screaming profanities in front of all their customers…who are now staring at him expectedly. Fuck Yugyeom. He’s just going out to make out with his boyfriend while Bambam suffers with making the drinks _and_ manning the register. Bastard.

 

The milk chooses _now_ to be done – if it were just a few seconds earlier, Bambam would’ve yanked Yugyeom by the ear and ratted him out to the manager. Well, he’s never done that before, but he swears he’ll snitch on Yugyeom someday if this keeps happening. Bambam takes a deep breath and finishes making the latte. He places the white cup on a pretty little plate and calls out the order. The blended drinks are probably done by now too, so he should stop the machines before everything turns into a watery mush.

 

“Hi! Thank you for waiting,” Bambam says kindly, as trained. “May I take your order?” He puts on a sweet smile and looks up for the first time –

 

Wow. The man in front of him can only be described as sharp and mildly (very) intimidating. Even so, there's something attractive about his small eyes, shapely nose, and carved cheekbones.

 

Who knew such handsome men actually existed in real life? Certainly not Bambam. Well, whatever.

 

His finger hovers over the monitor, ready to punch in the order. A moment too long passes. “Sir?” Bambam looks up again and finds the man just…staring. Bambam blinks at him, waiting in the awkward silence until he remembers that there _is a line_ and the three drinks behind him are going to melt. "…Sir, are you going to order?"

 

His voice seems to break the man out of whatever trance he was in, so that's good.

 

"Uh…a coffee."

 

Bambam hides a clenched fist behind the counter. "What kind?" He smiles.

 

The man shifts on his foot, uncomfortable. Bambam can't help but notice his dangling earrings due to the movement.

 

"I – err – how about the drink of the day??"

 

Funny enough, "The drink of the day is a hot chocolate. Is that okay?"

 

His face twists. Bambam would love to sass him for _taking his sweet time during rush hour_ but that would put his Barista of the Month candidacy at risk and the title comes with too big of a bonus for Bambam to give up. And certainly not to an ass like Kim Yugyeom (best friend extraordinaire).

 

"If you want coffee, can I recommend a caramel macchiato instead? It's one of our most popular drinks."

 

"Oh – yeah, sure."

 

Bambam nods and jabs at the monitor.

 

"…Can I get a water too?"

 

"Of course! Water is self-serve by the counter to your left along with the straws and other condiments to your liking," Bambam recites cheerfully. He grabs a pen and a plastic cup. "Can I get a name for your order?"

 

"Jaebeom," he answers quietly, but Bambam manages to catch it just fine.

 

Bambam scribbles sloppily on the cup. "That'll be 3800 won." Jaebeom hands over exact change. "Thank you! Your caramel macchiato will be ready in a moment." After Bambam quickly tells the next customer to give him a moment, he whips around to hand out the blended drinks and start on a line of pending americanos.

 

By the end of the rush, Bambam doesn't remember Jaebeom's name, nor does he notice him waiting around for a minute or two even after getting his order. Yugyeom comes back not ten minutes later, but _thirty_ minutes later. Bambam is more concerned with extorting a meal out of him for the pain he just went through.

 

-

 

"Hi."

 

Bambam jumps, cutting himself off mid-sentence from a long-distance conversation with Yugyeom in the back. He was facing away from the register, slacking off because it's the late afternoon. "Oh! Hi, I'm sorry, what can I get for you?" He's a little flustered, embarrassed for being caught.

 

"Sorry for scaring you." The customer avoids eye contact, hands in his pocket.

 

Bambam tilts his head a little. He kind of remembers seeing those two moles above the eye before. It's that same handsome guy from a few days ago. "It's okay. I'm ready to take your order now."

 

Again, the man seems confused on what to order when he takes a step back to scan the menu overhead. "Uhm…"

 

Bambam smiles amusedly. He'll tease him, just a little. "A coffee?" He asks while leaning on the counter.

 

His face twists (again), with a twinge of pink on his cheeks (well, that's new).

 

Bambam's smile widens. "Should I surprise you?"

 

"Uh – sure."

 

"That'll be 3800 won."

 

He hands over exact change.

 

"Can I get a name for your order?" Bambam grabs a pen and a plastic cup, waiting to scribble something down. The man doesn't respond right away, so he's forced to look up, questioning. Maybe he didn't hear the first time?

 

"My name is Im Jaebeom."

 

Jaebeom is staring directly at him, causing his grip on the pen to weaken for a second. He's looking at Bambam with meaning, like this is an actual introduction and not a business transaction. Like he wants to be remembered.

 

Bambam doesn't know how to respond, so he just writes down his name and makes him an iced latte. After capping the drink, he hands it off to Yugyeom.

 

“Hey, could you bring this out while you’re at it?”

 

“Huh? Sure.” Yugyeom puts it on his tray and calls out the orders.

 

Bambam hides in the back, thinking. _There’s no way…right?_

 

-

 

“Good morning.” He’s here again, the very next day. Bambam notes that he’s cleaned up quite a bit – and by “quite a bit,” Bambam actually means a heck of a lot. The last two times he’s been here, he was in a big oversized tee and slouchy cargo pants. This time around, he’s got on a navy dress shirt and black _fitting_ jeans, of all things. He looks really good – of course he does; Bambam had an inkling he was hiding a good body behind all that fabric because there’s no way someone who looks handsome even in what Bambam would consider a trash bag to… _not_ have an actual banging figure, ya know? Of course, all this information had to be assessed within a split second. Bambam can’t spare more than a glance or else the guy might get the wrong idea.

 

“Good morning!” Bambam repeats right after him. “What would you like to order?” He looks directly into his eyes.

 

“I…” He jerks his head away, eyes rapidly scanning the store. Looking anywhere but Bambam.

 

How strange. Maybe he has a hard time interacting with people. “How about an americano today?” Bambam suggests, only because he thinks Jaebeom would look like one of those rich kids in the dramas Yugyeom loves to watch.

 

“–Sure,” he agrees all too easily.

 

Bambam smiles to himself at the image already. “That will be 3000 won. You can stay right here, it won’t take too long.” They usually have a few lined up in the morning to meet the demands of the rush that should hit in about half an hour. All he has to do is scoop in some ice. And normally, _normally_ protocol is to leave the drink on the counter for the customer to pick up themselves, but Bambam makes the rookie mistake of forgetting this very basic rule. Really. He’s got no one but himself to blame when Jaebeom’s fingers overlap his. Goosebumps rise on his arm.

 

“Can I ask for your name?”

 

Stunned and caught up in the moment, Bambam stupidly reveals, “…Bambam.”

 

“Bambam?” Jaebeom questions, but it looks more like he’s testing the way the syllables sound coming from his lips. The ice melts a little faster beneath the heat of both their hands. A slow, content smile emerges on his face. He’s practically glowing when he says, “I’ll see you soon.”

 

  _Uh_. Strongly against his will, Bambam feels his traitorous heart jump. He quickly catches the nasty flicker of something like _hope_ and squashes it to death. He returns to reality with a polite and distant smile. “Thank you for coming.”

 

Jaebeom deflates a little, but still looks relatively happy as he nods and takes the drink (allowing Bambam’s fingers to slide out of his). Bambam watches him leave, hand still hovering in the air until he realizes how dumb he looks. His cold hand balls into a fist at his side, and he stiffly turns around to find something to distract himself with. To his utter dismay, he comes face to face with a smug-looking Yugyeom.

 

Bambam purses his lips. “You saw the whole thing didn’t you.”

 

“Yep.” Yugyeom crosses his arms.

 

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Bambam goes to reorganize their fridge.

 

Yugyeom follows him, because he’s nothing else but persistent when he wants to be. “He’s your type.”

 

“No he isn’t,” Bambam frowns.

 

“He’s tall, big, and sexy isn’t he?”

 

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

 

“I’m taken, not blind.”

 

Bambam frowns. “Whatever. He’s just a customer. He’s been here like, three times.”

 

“I think he likes you. He seems like a nice guy.”

 

“He seems like a heartbreaker,” Bambam snaps bitterly, surprising Yugyeom. Because yeah, Bambam _knows_ he has a _type_ , and so far all that type has ever done for him is hurt him. Before Yugyeom can get another word in, to chastise or to sympathize – Bambam cuts him off. He doesn’t want to hear it. “I don’t want a relationship, you already know that."

 

Yugyeom quietens down, looking guilty and several times smaller than his actual size. The sight only makes Bambam sigh. He's suddenly in a bad mood and he doesn't want to take it out further on Yugyeom, who certainly doesn’t deserve this.

 

"I'm going outside for a bit. Tell me when it gets busy," Bambam says on his way out, throwing his apron off to the side.

 

-

 

Bambam used to be… more open, Yugyeom thinks. Not that there’s anything wrong with him now, but he wasn’t always so guarded, so angry at the thought of love. Ever since that messy breakup last summer, Bambam closed the gate to practically everyone around him, save for a lucky few. He used to wear his heart on his sleeve and then he had to learn the hard way that that wasn’t the smartest way to live. And it’s true that Bambam was a bit naive then – that he shouldn’t have been so kind to give that bastard the benefit of the doubt (once, twice… three times, four times…) or else he wouldn’t have come to this point. Still, Yugyeom misses that carefree side of him, when he was confident and flamboyant, a massive force to be reckoned with everywhere he went.

 

Yugyeom hopes that time will patch things up eventually.

 

-

 

Yugyeom sees that guy come in through the door again and decides that he’s going to be the greatest best friend that ever was, a best friend who respects his best friend’s wish to completely ignore his potential love interest. Meaning, he’s been given the duty to warn Bambam to hide whenever that guy shows up.

 

He sees The Handsome Guy scan through the coffee shop, looking for something (some _one_ , Yugyeom’s brain cells ecstatically inform him), before his broad shoulders droop in disappointment. He still comes up to the register anyway to order. Yugyeom supposes it would be really obvious if he just left the store upon seeing that Bambam is not here.

 

“Welcome!” Yugyeom greets. “What can I get for you today?”

 

He stares at the menu, perplexed, until he settles upon the drink of the day and points at it.

 

“Ah, a mocha?” Yugyeom punches the order in. He’s about to call out to Bambam to make one but realizes that wouldn’t be very smart of him. “Can I get a name for your order?”

 

“Jaebeom.” Ooo, Yugyeom can stop dubbing him as The Handsome Fella now.

 

“4000 won, please.” The money is quietly handed over. “Thank you, your order will be out in a bit.”

 

“Hey, uhm…”

 

Yugyeom stops in his tracks.

 

“Does… actually, never mind. Sorry.”

 

Yugyeom wails internally. If Jaebeom was brave enough to ask for Bambam, Yugyeom would’ve 100% betrayed his best friend just this one time!! Like are you kidding?? Jaebeom is _such_ a good catch on looks _alone_ that Yugyeom would be _crazy_ to let Bambam lose this opportunity forever just because he’s hung up on some ugly cheater!! And he legitimately does look like a nice guy, if only a little shy, so it’s such a shame –

 

“–Gyeom-ah, what the hell are you doing? You’re being too quiet. Are you about to run away with Jinyoung hyung again?”

 

Yugyeom’s eyes widen. Oh no.

 

Bambam bursts outside. “I swear to god, you said last week was the last time –!”

 

Everyone freezes.

 

“Oh, Bambam,” Jaebeom smiles lopsidedly, walking up to the counter. Bambam brings up a hand dazedly to greet him, staring for a moment. Then, he whips his head towards Yugyeom.

 

_I TOLD YOU TO WARN ME,_ he communicates with his eyes.

 

_I’M SORRY_ , Yugyeom juts out his bottom lip. He runs.  
  


Despite the turning in his stomach, Bambam can’t find it within himself to be completely rude to Jaebeom. Especially when he looks so happy, and Bambam hasn’t even said a single word to him yet. Ugh.

 

But then again, maybe Bambam is reading too deeply into this. Maybe Jaebeom just wants to be friends, and there’s definitely no harm in that. So what if he’s seriously, undeniably, infuriatingly good-looking? …With a cute smile. And soft-looking hair. So what? Bambam’s not going to catch feelings from these bare minimum interactions – he’s not that easy.

 

“Hey again. You must really like our coffee!” Bambam quips.

 

Jaebeom’s smile widens. He reaches up to rub the back of his neck, as if shy. “I like the ones you make.”

 

Bambam can’t help but feel flattered. He crosses his arms, tilting his chin up with a haughty smile. “Of course. Who do you think I am?”

 

-

 

“Hyung, you won’t believe this,” Yugyeom marvels as he peeps through the window that allows employees to see the cafe from the kitchen. “Bambam is actually giving the guy his time of day!! They’ve been talking for five whole minutes and counting – I’ve been watching the clock.”

 

“ _Sometimes I wonder if you go to work to actually work,_ ” Jinyoung says through the phone.

 

“I’m multitasking.”

 

Later, when their conversation is finally done, Yugyeom abruptly hangs up on Jinyoung (he’ll make it up later) and escapes through the back door where they dump the trash. He loops around the building just in time to see Jaebeom exit the coffee shop.

 

“Pst!” Yugyeom hisses, hands cupping around his mouth. “ _Pst_!”

 

Jaebeom turns around to check out the noise, much like the other pedestrians on the sidewalk, and raises his eyebrows upon seeing Yugyeom pressed against the corner of a brick wall. He looks weirded out at first, about to walk away until he realizes that Yugyeom is hissing at him.

 

_Me?_ He mouths and points to himself.

 

Yugyeom nods and waves him over.

 

“Hi, you must be confused but I don’t have much time!” Yugyeom begins. “I’m Bambam’s best friend,” he adds to give himself some credibility. It works, because Jaebeom doesn’t look like he’s about to call the police anymore. “Bambam likes flowers!” Yugyeom nods enthusiastically. “He acts like he doesn’t like them because they embarrass him a little with all the attention that they bring but he’s a softie and thinks they’re romantic!”

 

Jaebeom lets out a strangled noise from his throat. “How – did you know…!”

 

“Gotta go, good luck!” Yugyeom shoots him a big grin and finger guns before dashing off. He sneaks back inside the cafe but still gets caught by Bambam, already waiting for him with his hands on his hips.

 

“Where were you?”

 

“Taking out the trash.”

 

“Why are you so out of breath?”

 

“It was heavy,” Yugyeom fibs.

 

Bambam purses his lips and then suddenly sticks his head out the back door. Huh. No Jinyoung in sight.

 

-

 

Jaebeom has not come with flowers in the past five times that Yugyeom has been here to witness their atrocious attempt at flirting. He’s not saying he’s disappointed, but he’s disappointed.

 

And no matter how deep in denial Bambam is about falling for Jaebeom's (snail-paced) advances, Yugyeom can see them growing on each other with each passing day. It's kind of cute, even if all they do is steal glances at each other and develop creative ways to "accidentally" brush hands. Bambam still rolls his eyes whenever Yugyeom brings him up… but he doesn’t put up much of a fight either.

 

-

 

"Hey, how come you never stay here for your coffee? Are you that busy?" Yugyeom asks Jaebeom while Bambam brews him some sort of dark roast. Apparently they've got this "surprise me, darling" crap going on. Don't tell Bambam he said that.

 

"Oh… guess I hadn't really thought about doing that, haha," Jaebeom laughs awkwardly.

 

Yugyeom thinks he's a fool. "Why not? You could stay and chat if you're free."

 

"I wouldn't want to impose."

 

"It's fine!" Yugyeom flaps his hand in the air as if to dismiss that thought. In a lower voice, he continues, "I'm sure he would appreciate the company." Jaebeom looks at him with hope in his eyes.

 

Bambam jabs Yugyeom right where he's ticklish, sending him flying across the counter with a squeak. He snickers despite intending to sound intimidating, "What nonsense are you telling him now?"

 

"Bam! That was dirty!"

 

"Here you go." Bambam turns his attention to Jaebeom instead. "Just plain coffee this time, but I appreciate the simplicity once in a while. Try it!" Bambam looks expectantly at him.

 

Jaebeom stiffens for some unknown reason. Now that he thinks about it, Bambam has never seen him try his drinks before leaving the shop.

 

Jaebeom reluctantly takes a sip… and does a poor job of hiding his suffering. Bambam's face immediately falls.

 

"Oh no, is it that bad? I must've let it sit for too long. I'll make you another one."

 

"No, no, it's okay," Jaebeom assures him, but it doesn't look convincing with his strained smile.

 

"It's on the house; we always make sure our customers are satisfied!"

 

"No –!" _It wouldn't matter anyway_ , is what Jaebeom would like to say.

 

"I'll make it a large!" Bambam promises, rolling up his sleeves in determination. Jaebeom wilts in a chair as he waits for another unwanted coffee.

 

At least he has an excuse to stay a little longer.

 

-

 

Despite his cold image, Jaebeom always leaves with a soft-spoken goodbye and a dopey grin. He doesn't pressure Bambam into revealing anything about himself if he doesn’t want to, and he has yet to make a move either. If it weren’t for the embarrassingly soft looks he gives Bambam when he thinks he isn’t looking, Bambam would’ve thought Jaebeom didn’t like him in that way after all. He's different from what Bambam expected.

 

And Bambam only returns the smiles because he's not good at rejections and he feels bad. That's all. He's definitely not melting.

 

-

 

But then –

 

_He’s finally here_ , Bambam catches himself thinking one day and promptly short-circuits. He desperately tries to backpedal out of his own thoughts because what _the hell_.

 

“Hi, Bambam.” Jaebeom arrives with his hair done up. Christ. Just when Bambam thinks he’s getting used to his ridiculous face, _something_ has to change it up and give him whiplash. Bambam decides to put the coffee grinds down before he makes a mess.

 

“Hi! You didn’t come this morning.” Bambam regrets everything that just came out of his mouth. What a way to reveal to Jaebeom that he actually, maybe, kinda, _really_ cares whether or not Jaebeom shows up on time!! God!! Where is Yugyeom when Bambam needs him? “Not that I expect you to!” Bambam adds quickly and then looks away. It’s so stupid. It used to be Jaebeom who couldn’t look at him in eye but now Bambam is the one resorting to wiping the already clean counter just to look busy.

 

“Mm, yeah, I had something else to do so I couldn’t stop by.” Jaebeom shoves his hands into his dress pants, which draws Bambam’s attention down to his gold wristwatch and leather shoes.

 

Wait.

 

It just hit Bambam that Jaebeom might be rich. Bambam should’ve figured this out sooner because why else would he be able to afford a coffee in-store practically every other day, if not everyday? The cost adds up quickly. Even Bambam, an experienced barista in a popular cafe with an extremely generous boss, wouldn’t dare to throw around money like that.

 

“Busy getting your hair done?”

 

“Well, that was part of it.” Jaebeom pauses for a moment. “What do you think of it?”

 

For some reason, the question makes him nervous. _It’s just hair_ , Bambam tells himself. _It’s just hair, you can compliment him, it’s fine._ “It looks good on you,” he admits. Jaebeom has… an _endearing_ sense of fashion on most days, if Bambam were to nicely phrase it, so he wonders what Jaebeom is all dressed up for. “Got a date or something?”

 

Jaebeom’s eyes widen.

 

Oh my god.

 

Oh my god, _kill him now_.

 

Bambam turns completely red as all the alarms in his head start going off. He wants to scream. And he can’t believe it but he wishes for nothing more than to have a Kim Yugyeom show up to save the day while the earth opens up beneath him and swallows him whole.

 

“I mean – it’s cause you look so handsome today – not that you’re _not_ always handsome?” Someone please shut him up. Bambam’s nails dig into his palms. “But I’m not saying that _I_ think you’re handsome in particular; you’re just objectively manly and good-looking?” Why is he still talking!! “Do you know what I’m saying? I don’t know what I’m saying.”

 

Jaebeom’s mouth hangs open and he’s equally as red, frozen on the spot in disbelief. “Wow. Thank you?” Another customer comes in, but neither of them notice.

 

Bambam stiffly throws a thumb over his shoulder to gesture towards the back. “You know what?” His voice is thin, borderline shrill. “I’m just gonna go get you your drink. Can’t keep you waiting too long if you’ve got plans! Haha!” He turns around and briskly walks away. This is so embarrassing; he’s just glad that there’s no one else here to witness this pitiable scene.

 

“Bambam?”

 

Why did he have to babble around like that and sound _interested_? He misses the good old days when life was just about him and his cats. It’s a humble life but he was thriving.

 

“Bambam!” Someone grabs onto his elbow and turns him around forcibly. The first thought that crosses his mind is that nobody should be passing over the counter, much less _touch_ him like that. Then Bambam takes a look at the assailant, and the second thought is that he wants to hurl. Forget about Jaebeom – this is so much worse.

 

“ _You_ ,” Bambam spits. “What are you doing here?” He thought he made it clear that he never wanted to see his ex ever again. And for the most part, he didn’t. He and Minsik didn’t run overlapping friend circles anyway. That actually might be why Minsik could get away with all of his affairs. It’s crazy how clearly Bambam can see his atrocious character now after stepping away from the relationship for good. He only wishes he broke up even sooner.

 

“I didn’t know you work here.”

 

Bambam’s face darkens, mood rapidly dropping to rock bottom. “Well, I do. Let go of me.”

 

“Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?” Minsik frowns, as if he has any right to be upset. “Let’s talk.”

 

“Why should I? We’re over.” Bambam looks around and sees multiple eyes watching them. His face twists uncomfortably. They shouldn’t be doing this in public, and especially not when Bambam is working. “Let go. I have customers, you know.” He tries to pull himself away, but the grip on his arm only tightens. Bambam winces, feeling the fingers press harshly through his long-sleeve.

 

“Not until you agree to meet me. I’ve missed you.”

 

Maybe in the past, those sugary words would have struck a chord inside Bambam – but not anymore. Now, it just angers him to hear this man have the audacity to lie to his face. He starts shaking from how much he wants to throw a good punch straight to the nose, but the fact that there are cameras here holds him back.

 

"Listen, I'm working – this isn't the time or the place for this."

 

"Well then, promise to meet me after you're done." Minsik pulls him closer.

 

Bambam grits his teeth, considering it.

 

“I’ll let go,” Minsik prods. Even with all eyes trained on him and a growing number of impatient customers behind them, Bambam really doesn’t want to give in. What else can he do though?

 

Jaebeom cuts in between them in a blink of an eye, shielding Bambam behind him as he swats Minsik's hand off of Bambam. “He can’t meet with you,” he says definitively while Bambam stares at the image of his back in awe. “You’re disturbing the cafe. Any more harassment of the barista and I’ll call the police.”

 

“What? Who the hell are you?”

 

“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that you’re making everyone here uncomfortable.” Jaebeom gestures to the other customers around them, who now seem embarrassed for being bystanders. “If you have any private matters to discuss, do it on your on time. But he’s working, and he’s clearly told you to let go multiple times.” He pauses for a moment to allow for Minsik to assess the situation himself. “I think it will be best for you to leave quietly.”

 

Murmurs of agreement can be heard throughout the cafe. Bambam’s heart rate starts picking up – quite belatedly, if he could say so himself. Maybe he was more afraid than he thought, and it’s only now hitting him hard.

 

With the tide against him, Minsik can only begrudgingly concede. “Fine.” He glares at Jaebeom on his way out.

 

Bambam lets out a long exhale of relief when he’s gone and out of sight. But then, Jaebeom waves him goodbye and starts walking out too.

 

“Wait!” Bambam jumps to reach out to him. “Where are you going?”

 

“Home,” Jaebeom replies gently. “It would be hypocritical of me to stay here and bother you too, yeah?”

 

Bambam’s arms fall down to his sides. “Oh.”

 

Jaebeom nods. “Take care.”

 

Long after he leaves, Yugyeom comes by to join him for the rest of the day. Having prior business to attend to, he had asked the boss for a late start. Bambam tells him about what happened while he was gone, and Yugyeom, for all his puppy-like demeanor, starts baring his canines like a wolf.

 

“ _What_?” Yugyeom raises his voice. Bambam turns on the blenders to drown him out. “ _Who_ came _where_?”

 

“I couldn’t believe it either.”

 

“God,” Yugyeom huffs, his bangs flying up with his breath. “If I was there I would’ve pulled him to the alley and thrown him with the rest of our trash!”

 

Bambam snorts, laughing.

 

“Thank goodness Jaebeom was there!”

 

Bambam pours hot water over the coffee grinds, thinking. He smiles a little. “Yeah.”

 

Jaebeom was cool.

 

-

 

Bambam hears a knock on the door. It’s evening and about ten minutes past closing, so the entrance is locked while he cleans up for the night. He stops mopping the floor and looks up. He’s genuinely surprised to see Jaebeom outside. Bambam hasn’t seen him in about four days, ever since that incident with his ex. Not that he’s counting the days, but not only did Jaebeom never get his drink that day, Bambam never got to thank him either. It was disappointing to realize that Bambam had no way of contacting him other than to hope for him to show up in the morning.

 

Bambam unlocks the door. “Hey! What are you doing here so late?”

 

“Hey – I… I uh…” Jaebeom’s hands are behind his back, and he’s looking around nervously while avoiding Bambam’s questioning gaze. “Well, I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t know when you’d be free so I thought I’d take my chance at closing –!” He suddenly pales. “Wow, that’s actually kind of creepy, now that I think about it – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off that way!”

 

Bambam bites down an endeared smile. “It’s not creepy unless you make it creepy.”

 

“Oh, of course.”

 

“So… what’s that behind your hands?”

 

Jaebeom freezes while Bambam tries to peep over his shoulder. Before Bambam can ruin his own surprise, Jaebeom whips it out in front of him. A single rose. Bambam nearly goes cross-eyed just to look at it. “I heard you like flowers!”

 

Bambam’s line of sight changes from the rose to Jaebeom’s cute, nervous face, and feels his traitorous heart thump. Again.

 

“I didn’t know what kind, so I contemplated nearly every kind of bouquet at the florist until I realized it might be too much for a –!” He swallows.

 

Bambam accepts the rose, watching Jaebeom light up as it leaves his fingers. “For a?”

 

“For a confession.” Jaebeom bites on his lip and takes a moment before continuing. “I’ve liked you ever since I first saw you.”

 

“But you barely know me,” Bambam points out despite the blush slowly blossoming on his cheeks.

 

“And I’d like to,” Jaebeom says confidently, looking directly at Bambam. It’s unfair, Bambam thinks, how he can just switch from a bumbling mess to a such a charming guy. “I want to ask you out on a date.”

 

“Oh…” Bambam whispers to himself. He’s being swept off his feet, he can already feel it. It sucks how easy he is sometimes. “Well alright… I owe you one anyway.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“For that day – you saved me from quite a sticky situation.”

 

“Oh…” Jaebeom seems a little disappointed.

 

Bambam gets it, so he amends it by admitting, “But also because I’d like to know you better too.” He brings the rose to his face to take a whiff of its scent. “Thank you,” he grins and looks at Jaebeom through his lashes. “Do you want to come in for coffee? I’ll make it decaf.”

 

-

 

Jaebeom might not like the taste of coffee but _dear god_ is he thankful for its existence. It got him a date with literally the prettiest boy on earth. If that’s not winning then everyone else is just straight up bitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! (((pls love bambam, he's a sweet boy!! have y'all seen his latest vlive???? I'M IN LOVE!!! AND THE & TEASER FOR SPINNING TOP SDKLGJSLG BIH HE'S MY KING)))
> 
> will I ever give up the opportunity to call bam pretty? no.


End file.
